We can learn by exchanging and discussing our own lists of "10 Things I Know to be True."

After listening to Sarah Kay's beautiful speech and poetry, I tried to write my own list of "10 Things I know to be True." I learned one thing immediately: I don't know much. I learned a second thing more slowly: that's okay! I tried to distill my limited understanding of the world into this list, without being overly philosophical nor literal.

One thing I know to be true, but that is not on my list, was that Sarah Kay was right when she said that if you share your list with a group of people you will find that someone has one thing very similar, someone else has something totally contrary, another person has something you've never heard of, and still another has something that makes you think further about something you thought you knew.

So let's share ours, and find out! What do your lists have on them?

Here's mine:
1. Fiction can, at times, feel more real than fact.
2. One person, with a good idea, can change our world.
3. There are things about our universe that we will never understand.
4. #3 is not an excuse to stop trying.
5. Everyone has a story worth hearing.
6. There is always another side to the story they tell.
7. Questions can sometimes teach more than their answers.
8. Children can sometimes teach more than their parents.
9. Everyone should travel.
10. No one's truth is universal.

2.) growth brings blindness - especially if growth generates wealth. see the greed system in stock-markets; growth until overkill.

3.) children are most empathic, it is not learned, it is given - and regularly unlearned by knowledge and open--mind-methods. empathic is not about the mind at all. even if you do not understand a matter, you can built an empathy for it.

For me the greatest challenge is to transform personal persuit of happiness to collective peacefulness and humbleness. I am afraid §shifting consciousness" (Nr. 4) is too abstract and easy for me - aren´t children doing it every morning at school?

My list is NOT to say that one thing is the ONLY thing to bring another, but rather that it does. With that being said, stability would be another way to happiness, but I would rather see it as comfort. Is it not only a matter of time after a period of stability that one becomes unsatisfied?

The second point would be under the assumption that growth is synonymous with wealth-which I don't believe to be true. I would say that wealth can bring blindness instead. But to even put that point aside and to think within your framework, weren't individuals happy as their net worth increased as a result of the markets? When financial markets tumbled and much was lost, that is where I would view the start of my list (although one of my points was that each line item can be viewed as their own separate truths rather than part of a single cycle). People lost monetary value-a change in their lives that brought them pain. It would not be until they view all that has changed in their lives in a new light that growth will occur.

I would disagree in saying children are MOST empathic. I recall a TED talk even showing a study that in child development, there aren't signs of empathy until a certain age (somewhere between 5 and 7, I can't recall). And I would say that it is learned from their mother/father by their examples of empathy. Do you truly believe that empathy is unlearned? Have you never met someone who you see a little of yourself in and can understand their perspective, even if it were a matter you understand better now and may have been previously ignorant to? If you do not understand a matter, you build an empathy for parts of which you do understand.

I am unclear of that last one, but to my earlier point- there are other ways of reaching a stage.

Lastly, as I thought about it, if I would to add another item to the list, it would be that Pain is relative.

Nov 17 2011:
Shift in consciousness is understanding that which was formerly not understood and accepting it heart, mind, body and soul and thereafter allowing it to be. This is growth. There is no money involved and yet this is the only thing of value. It actually is priceless.

It is impossible to shift people's consciousness collectively. You can only provide the conditions that inspire and nurture. This happens in each human as an independent and individual process. Each person must respond to their inner guidance in order to elevate their own level of consciousness. Children burst into this world eagerly with all the right equipment, as phenomenal beings with unlimited potential, but the world, as built by those who got here before them, is set up with all kinds of obstacles and blockages, which takes away their wings and turns them into boxed-in limited adults, who can survive best when behaving as sheep. So saying "growth brings blindness" is like saying " money corrupts". Blindness and corruption are choices one makes. And are usually of one's refusal to allow understanding and existence of the knowing, in other words elevation in consciousness.

Nov 20 2011:
agreed juliette when you say: growth brings blindness" is like saying " money corrupts". but it is not the only way to understand blindness by growth. by growth you can get narcissistic or vain. every growth - even the internal balanced personal - tends to make one blind for the own failures.

I totally agree with your desription of the childs blockages. But can this really be changed? Even the consciousness and wise man will be a blockage to his children, because it is the nature of growing up to overcome the educator?! Isn´t this a circle even the best wise man and women can not leave?

Nov 21 2011:
I agree with AJ that change is inevitable, even if stability is preferred and necessary to develop culture. Too strict a dependence on stability ignores the realities of motion and destruction, to which all species have undergone a series of adaptations (a natural response to change) in order to survive. The instinctual animal flees minutes before the first tremors of an earthquake are felt by most of us, while the permanent structures we created our sense of stability with shake and crumble.

Nov 21 2011:
i would not disagree that change is inevitable. let me try to say it like this:

we do not need to strive for change since it happens any way. it comes upon us - that means "inevitable".

but to cope with change you have to have a basis, a self-trust and consciousness, and especially growing up with family stability or at least love.
i believe we need to push and promote this stable trust since it is not inevitable. it is the exception.... it is more pressious. and thus - if it happens once in a while - it generates happiness.

Nov 22 2011:
AJ....your key word is change, and I, like many others have a heartfelt recognition for it. If we want our world to be better for all, we have to swing into action. Loaded words uttered, we talk about talk, but action is not as easy. We, who live in democracies cling steadfast to our cushy lifestyles. To give up any of it means sacrifice.
"Why should I if others will not?"....or...."I worked hard for what I have". If nothing changes with me, my world remains the same. Ultimately, have I chosen yet?

Oct 22 2011:
1. First impressions are often wrong.
2. Second impressions are seldom wrong.
3. No apology can unsay a hurtful thing.
4. Encouraging children to excel is good parenting. Requiring children to excel is not.
5. It doesn't take a village to raise a child. It takes a parent who cares.
6. The universe is a very large place. It's statistically impossible that there isn't intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos. It's statistically improbable that such intelligent life has visited this little backwater planet.
7. There is no honesty in politics. There is no responsibility in government.
8. Committees are a waste of time and effort.
9. Proof abounds that God exists. You don't have to believe for it to be true.
10. Nature scoffs at man's hubris.

Oct 23 2011:
Lay on your back on a clear night and stare into the sky. Do you see all that wonderful expanse of stars? Where did they come from? A single cosmic cataclysm? Before that, how did all that is come into being? If you believe that you exist and that the world exists and that universe exists, then you have to understand that without God, none of this would BE.

Need more proof, look into a microscope. Look at the smaller and smaller particles until you get to the smallest semi particle and ask, what is smaller than this? And how did this and this and this learn to exist in this pattern? Why does a quark do what it does and why does an electron and a proton attract each other instead of repel?

God isn't in the man made manifestations but in all things. The visible and the invisible alike. God is so much more than what man thinks and can understand, so man assigns God characteristics to make God seem more like us and not the natural origin of the universe.

Oct 23 2011:
there you go, "the nature talk". That's an extremely flawed argument, just because someone doesn't understand where it all comes from, doesn't mean that you can fill in the blank with an invisible person in the sky. It's called "the argument from ignorance fallacy". I'm not calling YOU ignorant, that's what the fallacy it's called. If you're giving your god the property that cannot be understood by us humans, then why bother? Anyway, peace. I loved your first 7 points.

Oct 23 2011:
It is not so much arguing that some grand mystery must exist because we don't understand something (i.e. ignorance fallacy). It is that there is never an end to the questioning, that there is always something beyond our grasp in virtually every facet of human life that is the grand mystery. Whether one denies the mystery, basques in it, or fills sutures it with language is pretty much the ultimate personality test.

Oct 23 2011:
Jas: No matter how you fill in the blank with something that "cannot be understood" or "defined", you are still superficially and falsely removing an unknown with another unknown. In reality, you haven't solved anything. However, you've tricked your mind into thinking that you have the answer, preventing you from further inquiry. In other words, the god answer doesn't answer questions about the unknown, it stops them.

Oct 23 2011:
Tony - You seem to suggest that the entire equation is fundamentally changed because one variable is substituted for another. Whether I write the equation as x + 2x = 10 or y + 2y = 10, solving for the unknown variable will get you the same result and the substitution does not trick me into thinking that I know the answer simply because of the substitution. It isn't a matter of "removing an unknown with another unknown" but simply a question of labels. Trying too hard to categorize what is and what isn't god is a game of semantics that simply distracts from the task of trying to find answers.

Oct 23 2011:
Phil, I normally wouldn't get into this can of worms, especially not on here, but based on some of the questions you asked I was compelled to respond.

400 years ago there were many things that we didn't understand about nature. At that time, simple things we couldn't explain were quite simply explained by the existence of God, to the satisfaction of many.

However, 50 years or so would progress, and answers would be discovered by diligently inquisitive characters known as scientists. more often than not, these discoveries would create new questions.

More time would progress, and more things would be discovered that we couldn't yet explain, and the answer by many would be God. However, time, curiosity, and research would reveal the actual answer, and we would move along.

Now here we are in the present day, with logical and provable explanations for quite a many things in nature that were once attributed to God, and somehow yet, for what riddles we have newly discovered and not yet solved, so many still use the answer of God.

If any lesson is to be learned from our history, could we not safely assume that the answer to the questions you posed above will be revealed in fifty to a hundred years? Then you will have something new that we will not understand, and can again use God as your answer.

Oct 26 2011:
There is no God. At least not in the traditional sense of the word. The universe is infinitely complex, and we are part of the universe, so if you redefine the concept of 'God' into something like nature, or eternity, or that which stands beyond the knowable universe, behind the singularity and before the big-bang, etc. Then we can say that god could exist, but there is no evidence that 'God' is anything other than a human concept developed out of man's insecurity and recognition of our finite existence, and used to control power by influencing irrational minds. To base your decisions and choose your actions based upon such supernatural fictions is foolish at best and potentially dangerous.

Oct 27 2011:
If you equal "god" as nature, why don't you just use the proper term - nature. If god is something else, explain what it is and then show us how looking at the stars would lead one to think there is a god which you describe.

Oct 26 2011:
Ah yes, there is no God because there is no proof! I say because the universe exists, God exists, there's your proof. Before there was the universe, there was an infinite power that could create a universe. That infinite power IS God. Just because mankind is incapable of grasping something so infinitely large and infinitely small at the same time, we struggle to define the force that allows our very awareness of being. I take great pleasure in acknowledging the gifts that God has bestowed upon us. Existence. Awareness. Emotion. Pleasure. Pain. Life. Death. Beer.

Oct 27 2011:
"Just because mankind is incapable of grasping something so infinitely large and infinitely small at the same time, we struggle to define the force that allows our very awareness of being. " I totally agree, that's why I don't try too hard to name things I can't even begin to fathom, perhaps one day the human brain will evolve enough for someone to get it, but for right now, assigning whatever existence is, some kind of consciousness, in order to make sense of it in our primitive human way is just pointless. And really boring, I might add. I prefer the wonder to the fake 'know it all' answers.

Oct 24 2011:
Can we just leave God out of it. It so brings a good conversation down. Makes it irrelevant/tired/uninteresting/crap/lies etc. Just leave the word out and we can all move on. we simply do not need it anymore! Stop with the god i say. Strike me down if you are liste..........................

Oct 27 2011:
See #10 on my list (which is way down below somewhere). I don't have a problem with God or god or gods. I think talking about religion is fascinating. But, once the conversation devolves into a general cosmic debate, not much is going to get accomplished, and no one takes any responsibility his or her contributions or actions.

Oct 26 2011:
Apologies make sense if you made a mistake and recognize it. If you don't actually mean it, or are just trying to appease some social structure, then don't be dishonest.

In the past, I've let my emotions affect my judgment and taken unjust actions toward others, and for that I'm truly sorry. But I can't change the past.

Hurtful things are only hurtful if the 'victim' allows them to be hurtful. Therefore, you are only a victim if you allow yourself to be. Words can not harm anyone. However, violent actions can actually harm people.

---------------------------- end of original comment
Apparently the machine will not let me reply to Phillip McKay's comment below, so I'll edit in my reply here. - Emotions may MOTIVATE your actions, and thus they are an indicator of what you truly value, but they are not values in themselves, and emotions are irrational. Irrationality doesn't matter in arbitrary decisions, like what color do I like today, or who will I fall in love with, but they do matter when you take actions. Words can be actions, and may even be intended to cause harm, like yelling "FIRE" in a crowed theater when there is no fire, but your feelings can only be hurt by words IF you put value in the speaker's opinion. The choice of what you value is up to you. You need not be lonely or unattached to be rational. Hearts break because we value the individuals we choose to love, and we are hurt by their rejection, not because they spoke to us. Perhaps the girl that told you she didn't love you did it because you beat her, or ignored her, or just had no love for yourself, her words didn't hurt, it was your realization that your self-image, or worldview, or opinion of her was mistaken, you were deceived, either by your self, or her, or the world, and when you realize that, your foundations are rocked to the core, What else have you gotten wrong? This is why truth matters. Your ideas are only as good as your model of the world.

Oct 27 2011:
I used to think somewhat like you Michael. But your emotions are the value you place on things. without them you are dull indifferent and a flatliner. Remember that beautiful girl that told you she didnt love you. That hurt. Welcome to the real world. You're right - words dont hurt if you're not attached to the human raise and many achieve that lonely existence.

Oct 27 2011:
Forgiveness is the first step to healing. First you must forgive yourself for being hurt, then you can fully forgive those who caused pain. Alternately, one cannot forgive one whom wishes not to be forgiven. And there, we have apology.

Oct 27 2011:
No, one never has the right to forgive oneself. If one has hurt someone, that's a permanent burden which one has to carry.

However, one can forgive other and I encourage that. With forgiveness comes a relief as a victim. Bring in friendship and let the one who hurts you feel easy around you and give him/her the chance to compensate of the wrong before.

Oct 23 2011:
I don't KNOW any of these items to be true, but choose to use them as beacons and guideposts.

1) Thinking "out of the box" is over-rated. "Out of the box" means you have simply recognized that you're previous context or "box" was too limiting and that you have broken through many of the assumptions and constraints of that context. But you simply move into a broader and more general context or "box" now. So actually, a more accurate saying might be "are you thinking in the appropriate box?"

2) Experience is inevitable, learning is not. Just going through an experience does not equal learning from the experience.

3) Sometimes, we have to listen someone into existence.

4) Play as if our lives depended on it. Because it does.

5) Imagination is more important than knowledge, but one needs a solid foundation of knowledge to make the most of one's imaginative powers. So don't discount and dismiss the importance of knowledge.

6) There is hard work as we know it in the USA and European countries. And then there is hard work as it is known in Chinese-speaking countries such as China, Taiwan, and Singapore. In Chinese language, the term for hard work is "Eat Bitter" which also has connotations of enduring, overcoming pain and misery. So not all hard work is the same around the world.

7) Problem-solver are extremely valuable. But we might need problem-finders even more.

8) We are all hybrids. Approximately 90% of the cells in our body are bacterial in nature, not human. Relax, there're friendly and vital to our health. But just think...90% of the number of cells in us are bacteria!

9) We tend to forget about opportunity risks when considering something risky. There can be great risk in NOT pursuing a risky venture.

Thanks for your reply. Isn't it sad that so many people have this need and yet we don't listen enough to them? Our society seems to reward the proclamation of ideas so much more than listening and reflection. Just go to a typical kindergarten or grade school. Gold stars often go to those who speak up and contribute their ideas and opinions. But seldom is recognition given to active and compassionate and self-less listening.

I grew up in Asia and recall my shock when I entered 3rd grade in the USA. Everyone was talking over each other and rewarded for being so darned self-expressive. But there was not much listening...often it was just waiting for a turn to speak or an opportunity to interrupt the previous speaker.

I love this idea. To quote Sarah Kay, "I see the impossible every day. Impossible is trying to connect in this world, trying to hold onto others... knowing that while you're speaking, they aren't just waiting for their turn to talk-- they hear you." I know I still need to work on that: truly hearing everyone I listen to. "Listening them into existence" (what an incredible phrase. Thank you.) But I'll never stop trying, because every time I manage to really do it, I learn something amazing.

I grew up going to a Quaker school. We had a weekly mandatory Meeting for Worship which every student, teacher, and administrator sat together in complete silence and periodically listened to short messages people were spontaneously inspired to share. I often learned more about myself and the world around me in that hour and a half than in any class; I wasn't talking, I was sitting in silence. I miss the structure for listening that the meetings offered, but I hope to apply the lessons learned there to the rest of my life.

Oct 24 2011:
Not all at once.....of course, but I have to speak for two important reasons I can momentarily think of: speaking my mind so others can know what I am all about, and
if nobody speaks there is nothing to listen to.
In most cultured conversations one considerately awaits their turn while listening to others.
Otherwise, how can one's comments be pertinent to the subject discussed? Ill mannered parliamentary debates should not discourage us from remaining civil.

Oct 23 2011:
Peter
I really liked #,s 3&4 There are a lot of people out there waiting for someone to listen to them. On a persoanl level, playing is becoming a sort of new found joy for me...and I am not young. Those things are really true.

Oct 23 2011:
Someone posted this over on the "Favourite Quote" conversation:

A child-like man is not a man whose development has been arrested; on the contrary, he is a man who has given himself a chance of continuing to develop long after most adults have muffled themselves in the cocoon of middle-aged habit and convention. – Aldous Huxley

Oct 23 2011:
Peter your number 6 and Cleo's number 9 have been integral in my development. When I was a child growing up in the United States, I had a powerful desire to travel and see the great and wonderful things in the world. My mind conjured images of beautiful architecture, delicious new foods, wondrous landscapes, and curious people.

At the age of 25, I have spent over half my adult life outside of the United States. Exposure to cultures such as India, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Vietnam have taught me incredible lessons about self pity, simple pleasures, and viewing the world in its entirety.

Oct 24 2011:
Peter I served the first few years of my adult life as a special operator with the United States Army, an experience which catapulted me into an understanding of myself as a world citizen.
Of course there have been many
surprises during my travels, but the one that has had the biggest impact on me would be the realization of China as a superpower, witnessed firsthand. It is one thing to watch the news and read the Economist, but something else entirely to visit a place like Hong Kong and marvel at its efficiency.
According to the Motley Fool, the US economy as yet remains three times the size of China's, but that ratio only further demonstrates where one is to find opportunity and growth. I see a new world developing, one in which global influence is shared by more major players on nearly equal footing than the disparity witnessed in the last 30 years. This surprise has lead to a reevaluation of my goals, which now involve studies in the mandarin language, chinese history, and philosophy.

In regards to universal truths, I have found that the giving spirit is ingrained in all of humanity, though the mechanism is dramatically different from place to place. In powerful western economies, we like to use an intermediary. Charities, food banks, and homeless shelters are common for this purpose. In less abundant economies, food is often handed to the needy, and small villages take a communal approach to their problems. Neighbors help one another fix leaking roofs, and orphans are often supported by the many.

Peter where in Asia did you grow up? You discussed your surprise with the classroom after entering third grade in the United States. Do you believe that multicultural exposure for children is an advantage?

I could not contact you via TED email (it's not working) so I am contacting you this way.

"This surprise has lead to a reevaluation of my goals, which now involve studies in the mandarin language, chinese history, and philosophy." Wow, you really are proactive! Kudos for seeking trends and patterns and acting upon them. Your wide travels has benefited you immensely.

Yes, I believe multi-cultural experiences are a MUST for any young person on this planet, esp. for an ethno-centric and super power country such as the USA. "Fish are the last to discover water" goes the adage. So a mudskipper who transitions between water and soil understands so much more about water by virtue of having left its boundaries.

I grew up in Taiwan, then Japan prior to landing in the USA as a youth. I identify myself with both the American and Chinese cultures.

Tim, You write extremely well which reflects a cultivated mind. Why don't you start a TED Conversation? You have a great deal to offer the TED community.

Oct 24 2011:
I think we do learn thorugh experiences particularly when we are young. Problem is sometimes what we learn does bnot help us in life. I know young people who have learned to push people away in order to protect themselves. Obviously this is not always a useful action. Somtimes however, it is.
Sometimes it is just as important to unlearn.

1) Love is better than hate.
2) Love feels better too.
3) Hating hurts you as much or more than it hurts the one you hate.
4) Hope is always a good thing.
5) Life will out. Just look at that blade of grass coming up through the crack in the pavement.
6)There are a lot of really truly good people in this world. We should encourage them.
7)We all have blind spots about ourselves.
8)Differences are not to be feared for they are the source of our greatest strengths as societies and as individuals.
9)Just because people live in big bodies does not mean that they are grown up inside.
10) Singing, dancing and art are better uses of human talent than war.

Oct 30 2011:
I enjoy conversations about "Differences". I focus on learning to be comfortable with differences, and that I can make a difference by doing this.
One of my favorite catch phrases is "The Difference that Makes a Difference!"

Oct 28 2011:
Hi Paula, I do not really think it is a matter of actually looking for our blind spot. Rather, I think we just need to be aware when the evidence of feedback indicate that we might have a blind spot. When people see things that we do not we need to consider that we have something to learn. At least this is how I try to stay aware of the possibilities.

Nov 4 2011:
the past months I have been exploring the 5 elements (earth, metal, water, wood, fire) and my experience is it is for quite some people easy to understand what their blind element(s) is/are

Nov 4 2011:
That's an interesting approach, Steven. I like the use of metaphor to think in new ways. It takes us out of the rut in our habitual thinking processes even if we do not attach it to religious thought or ideologies.

Oct 29 2011:
Love and hate are part of the same human emotional state, that of being passionate, between which can be a very thin often blurry line and since one can not exist without its companion to say that one is more important than the other lends itself to a narrowing of perception. All human emotions have a place and time. I would say that outrage one may feel at the presence of inequality and cruelty come from a place of love but will move an individual to action and help to shape the world. Less the rational be willing to act the strong will always prevail regardless of their motives or politics no matter how irrational, selfdestructive, or short sighted they may be.

Oct 31 2011:
Hi Skylar! While I love it when you play devil's advocate, I cannot agree that love and hate are the same emotional state not even polar opposites. There is not much psychological literature to support that contention either. Additionally, outrage and shock which leads to action does not necessarily stem from hate and is often not nearly as effective when it does stem from hate. Hate is often associated with fear and threat. Love comes from an entirely different place. I am quite convinced that humanity could live pretty nicely without hate. Hate is in itself self destructive. I once read that hating is like drinking poison and expecting the hated person to die. The poison of hate only hurts the one who partakes.

Nov 1 2011:
I did in fact over simplify the truth a little and thank you for calling me on it. More to the point I wasn't really disagreeing with you entirely just trying to recognize that horrific things are sometimes done in the name of love (of which there are many different kinds and I wish that we had more than one word for it in the English language). Sometimes actions motivated by hate can bring about positive change. While I to am an advocate for love and empathy I still understand that every tool has it's pros and cons even love. Hate while usually a more destructive force has it's place as well. It is my hope that one day hate and violence (which aren't always mutually inclusive) will become obsolete and loose their necessity, but recognize we have a long way to go before we are there. Until that day whatever may motivate an individual to propel us closer to this new world is what is needed and I believe hate plays a role. I myself while not a fan still see a need for many unpleasant and harmful aspects of not only human behavior but the actions of the universe. Significant change rarely comes quietly and never without a cost. My love for my fellow man often times paralyzes me and while I don't want to be the one to swing the axe or condone the actions of the one who does I can't help but wish that I could fashion my love into a tool as sharp and wieldable. Hopefully one day I will... Thank you for being you and best of luck in your journey.

Oct 25 2011:
1.That I love and am loved.
2.That life is precious and worth living.
3.The best things that ever happened to me are the birth of my children.
4.That I know very little and can learn something new, everyday.
5.If I had my life to live over again, I would change nothing.
6.Being happy is a choice. It has nothing to do with what you own and another person is not responsible for your happiness, only you are...
7.The saying "If at first you don't succeed, try again" is not just a saying.....
8.Laughing is really good for the soul and should be done daily and several times each day.
9.The best gift is the gift of time.
10. Last but certainly not least, God is real, he is love and he is good.

Oct 26 2011:
I like these, they are true only from your perspective yet could be universal too.
God is only real in the minds of men as a concept and the actions such men take.
People can't take your happiness, but they can take your food.

I do not know which god you believe in. The bible god that I knew has not learnt to forgive. It takes a life to wash away the "sin" which was the first human eating a fruit. By allowing suffering to occur to new born child, it is not loving and it is not good.

Oct 27 2011:
I'm an atheist, so I don't believe in supernatural beings, but that doesn't mean that concepts (abstract patterns) in the minds and brains of men aren't 'real' or don't have effects upon their actions, which effect the world.

If you speak of the god of the Jews, I think the Christians believe he sent a profit to die for human sins, and cleared that whole thing up.

The problem of Theodicy, the problem of evil in the world, is fundamental to most religions, but I was given a reasonable explanation by the book of JOB. The conclusion they come to is that a God, if such exists, is beyond our simple understanding of suffering or justice, that it need not answer our questions, but we must accept the world as it comes. Naturally.

That makes sense to me, I can accept the suffering imposed by the natural environment, but what I can't accept is the suffering imposed by society, cultures of abuse, and social injustice. However, I don't think that such is imposed by any real 'God', just by the kind of concept or irrational beliefs that cause action, as I described. They make us do unethical things, like take people's food.

Oct 27 2011:
Obviously, we are off the tangent here, but let's just indulge ourselves a little.

The issue of suffering and justice are human values. How we judge whether a situation is a suffering or whether something is just based on our values and emotions. Saying that we are too simple to understanding god's will is simply brushing the problem under the carpet. As social animals and with the "mirror neurons" in our brain, we can feel (in the shoes of the other) how other is feeling. That's where suffering comes in. We can feel and see suffering from the expression of the person. Young child, starved to dead by simply being born at the wrong place at the wrong time - to an atheist - is just part of chance. For the theists, they have a big problem to simultaneously claim their god to be good, loving and just. For a loving god with all the power it has and yet allows suffering to occur, by any argument no one could call it a loving god. For allowing this randomness of luck to occur, again if god has all the power to prevent and yet does not do so, is unjust.

Can we judge god? Sure we can, just like we can judge other and show our approval or rejection.

God is a concept and most people really do not have a good definition of it. As seen in this thread, there are many equating nature as god. To them, I ask why don't we just say nature. Obviously, there are more than just nature when theists use the word god. I am yet to see anyone clearly articulate his/her version of god. I can only refer to god in the bible - the Jew's god as a representation of god.

Oct 27 2011:
Carol, I am so sorry for you. Whatever education you may have, you have demonstrated that you failed to use your logical rational mind to see the delusion of the myth of "one true god".

I am not asking anyone to believe there is a god or there is no god. That's not the point.

I am asking everyone to make decisions based on evidence, not wishful thinking nor voodoo.

Humanity is at a cross road right now. My grand child, if I have one, may be the last generation of human unless we, humanity at a whole, recognize the damage this generation has made to the planet and quickly rectify the wrongs. The atmosphere has CO2 level leading to a minimum of 2 deg rise in average global temperature - and we are still accelerating the rate of dumping CO2 into the atmosphere! I am afraid a 4 deg rise in average global temperature is inevitable and that would trigger unstoppable positive warming effect. A mass extinction is around the corner.

Oct 27 2011:
Albert,The question posed for this conversation was, "What 10 things do YOU know to be true." Carol has expressed her 10 things. Perhaps instead of trying to dissect someone's belief with your "big brain" and "logic" you could have simply listed your 10 things YOU know to be true. Frans K. sums it up perfectly below, "Your words sound logic in general.
Yet it is as with that elephant. We can both look on the beast from our own fixed positions and agree that it's an elephant yet seeing different things."

If you want to batter everyone over the head with your gavel, do it in the DEBATE section please. Carol has chosen to share what she knows to be true for herself. She has not beat anyone over the head with her beliefs, let alone ask to consider her views as your own. I find it blatantly disrespectful to target in on someone and tell them what they know to be true wrong just because you feel it is. CLEARLY this question is a subjective matter.

Thankfully Carol has also chosen not to dignify your replies and insults ("Whatever education you may have, you have demonstrated that you failed to use your logical rational mind to see the delusion of the myth of "one true god").

Please read the opening statement again. It said, "We can learn by exchanging and discussing our own lists".

What I have done is in the spirit of discussion.

As for my list, I don't have one. Life experience cannot be listed as 10 "truths". I am yet to see any evidence that there is any "truth" in all the lists. Yes, many posters have put up insightful viewpoints and I am learning and taking notes. However, delusion are plentiful too.

The fact that Carol's list has 6 "thumb ups" so far reflects either the feeling that she was a victim of my dissection or that delusion is widespread. So far I have only focused on the last one the list. Here is my full dissection.

re: 1

Carol is lucky to be born in the right place at the right place. Not everyone has loved and has been loved. About 30,000 children died of starvation everyday. Are these children loved?

re: 2

We have valued our own life too much. Life in fact is cheap. See how political leaders are willing to send other people's children into war, but not their own. Letting 30,000 children die of hunger everyday also illustrates how cheap life is. By placing our own life too high, we lost our compassion to our fellow human being.

re: 3

Yes, our biological need is to reproduce. But are we too successful as we shall have the 7 billionth child by the end of this month? My wife and I together have one child. That's more than enough.

re: 4 - totally agree.

re: 5

I suggest if there is another chance of rebirth, try being born at the wrong time at the wrong place. You won't feel so lucky.

re; 6, 7 and 8 - agree. Laughing is also good for the physical health too. Laughing loudly helps in oxygenation.

re: 9

I agree life is short. Human existence is only about 100,000 to 200,000 years out of 4.5 billion years of Earth's existence. While we are here, try not to damage the environment too much and leave a better place for the future.

Oct 24 2011:
1. Sit in stillness. Stop moving, stop doing, stop planning and living in the future. You can sit on a cushion or sit in a chair.

2. Go outside and feel the wind on your face, smell the fresh air, and connect with nature. If it’s possible, lie in the grass, stare at the sky, and listen to the birds. Feel your heart open.

3. Connect with another person, smile, and make eye contact. If you observe yourself becoming judgmental or critical, try to see that person as another human being struggling to be happy, just like you.

4. If you have pets, connect with them through touch. Feel their affection. We can communicate with them and learn from them about how to stay in the moment.

5. Tune in to your body, let it move, and feed it well. Practice awareness of your senses. Feel what you are touching, listen to the sounds around you, and smell what’s cooking.

6. Breathe deeply. Count your breaths to 21 when you are driving in your car. Calm down and stay present. Repeat.

7. Write, draw, paint, journal, or listen to music. Creating something beautiful or meaningful will help you focus and allow flow.

8. Take pictures with your phone or camera. I have learned that if I see a shot and run for the camera that frequently the moment will have disappeared. Sometimes I am lucky enough to capture a magical moment in time.

9. Give love to yourself and others. As you become aware of the negative self-talk in your mind, you can work towards becoming gentle with yourself. Practicing loving-kindness towards others will help you turn the love inward as well. Treat your family and friends with care and tenderness. Be considerate of their needs and listen closely to what they have to say.

10. Accept things the way they are. It will give you a sense of freedom. Resistance causes suffering.

Refrain from zombie behavior: Please stop to think, reflect. Don't let your phone decide who you should marry or worse... marry your phone? Love people and use things, not the other way around!

Oct 24 2011:
I really appreciate the way your shared your truths. You come across as very conscious of experiencing and practicing in the present moment. I have been preoccupied with the thought that, yes, I have truths but my life is about how I practice these truths. To me this means how I express these truths in what I think, say and do. I believe that experience is crucial and there are practices/ways to enhance, calibrate and appreciate these experiences.PLAY is an important element of my practices.

Oct 24 2011:
Thanks, I am trying to learn how to breath right by doing what Osho recommends. Starting with breath, if we only pay attention and introduce intent in every moment. I feel my main job here is to create my life intentionally. When I really focus in I find that things taste better, feelings more intense and enjoyable, things are more vibrant looking, we control our experience just by thinking about what we want instead of what we don't! Yes its all about PLAY.
"Where are you? Here.
What time is it? Now.
What are you? This moment"

Oct 25 2011:
I appreciate both of you.
You are both already "practicing" your thoughts when you are writing it down !
And to me ,
you trigger me to think:
Everyone has his/her set of language , to convey the "basic life belief"
BELIEF ,is not a belief.
BELIEF = A SET OF LANGUAGE.
that's why we cannot accept another people's belief in their language.
(where i mean language , is not meaning languages among different countries)

BELIEF is unsupported acceptance of something. One can have belief, but one should not communicate one's belief to strangers. Most of the time, such an action would be laughed at - and should be laughed at.

If you like Osho, try Laozi (and read Tao De Ching,道德經) instead. At least the principles within 道德經 has been put in use for over 2000 years.

Oct 26 2011:
I agree, I have shared the truths earlier... here they are for you:
1. Listen to your body's wisdom.
2. Live in the present, for it is the only moment you have.
3. Take time to be silent, to meditate - It is the methodology of awareness. By living in the moment, you are already practicing active meditation thereby relinquishing the need for external approval, that we earthlings crave.
4. Relinquish your need for external approval - happens automatically
5. When you find yourself reacting with anger or opposition to any person or circumstance, realize that you are only struggling with yourself. it is a defense mechanism and you are defending your ego and a response to old hurts. By not reacting with anger, you will start healing yourself and cooperating with the flow of energy.
6. Know that the world "out there" reflects your reality "in here"
7. Shed the burden of judgement.
8. Don't contaminate your body with toxins, either food, drink, or toxic emotions.
9. Replace 'fear'-motivated behavior with 'love'-motivated behavior.
10. Understand that the physical world is just a mirror of a deeper intelligence

One's body does not have wisdom. it is a collection of molecules interchanging with the environment. However as a collection, it is also a living organism. Life is about eating and be eaten. Once this fundamental basic need has been met, we can start learning and accumulating experience. If you are old enough, that accumulated experience may be called by some as "wisdom".

re:2

I disagree. We should live for the future. Humanity is facing a huge ecological problem because TOO MANY of us were just concerned with living at the present and over utilized the capacity of mother Earth.

re: 3

Meditation can relax and that's all it can do. The Deepak likes to apply Quantum theory into his voodoo theory of cosmic conscienceness - which is just as evidenceless as the existence of god.

re:4

We are social animal. Our deeds are judged by our peers and we cannot escape being judged. It is important to live in a way that you will not feel sorry in the future - live fair and square and as morally as the circumstance allows.

re: 5

I was a teacher. I can't help explaining my viewpoint. Reacting with anger is related one's own understanding and control. Learn to react calmly to *everything*. If someone has made a statement which you don't agree, if circumstance permits, say your objection with calm and reason. If both cannot agree, agree to disagree.

Oct 28 2011:
Dear Michael E. Russell,
Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect on the truths.

1. What is meant by wisdom of the body?
Our minds don't like to acknowledge that our bodies have a wisdom of their own. Whether we shudder at the idea of telepathy or praise the idea of transparency, we call it by various names like intuition, others call it ESP. It doesn't matter what we call it.

Thats why we should trust a gut feeling, because it is actually a physical response to your subconscious mind weighing up all known factors and then making a decision. “Malcolm Gladwell”:http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/ in his book “Blink”:http://www.malcolmgladwell.com/blink/index.html discusses how using thin slicing and gut feeling you can make just as good a decision, if not better than consciously seeking all relevant information.
Each and every cell of our body has a consciousness, and that explains why we get addicted. Unlike your screen, we're not just a bunch of molecules :)

2. Living in the moment does not mean taking more than you need, the universe has enough to fulfill all we need not all our greed. By living in the moment, I meant, centering your awareness on on the here and now (savoring). You are not worrying about the future or thinking about the past. The past and future are illusions, they don’t exist so if are to truly experience life, we need to be present intentionally to actually live.

The worst part about living in the past or the future is that you’re giving up your personal power. If you’re not living now, you’re giving up your life. You’re surrendering your power to create. If there are changes you’d like to make in life, it’s best to do it now. If you’re living in the past, you can’t do anything about it, it’s gone. If you’re worrying about the future, you’re living somewhere that doesn’t exist. It hasn’t happened yet. If you want to change your life, the only place you can do it is in the present. But first you need to accept life as it is

"Wisdom of the body" - I think we are into semantics here. At what level do we call something "responsive", "thinking", then "wisdom"? I acknowledge that some of our organs, say the heart, can beat by itself without guidance from our brain. Is that wisdom? Can we call our body having wisdom, or should we call our collective (body and brain together) as capable of having wisdom? Can our body think? Is the thinking done at the brain or at parts-level?

If you have said we should listen to our intuition, instead using "wisdom of the body", I would have understood a little better, don't you think? Is there any difference between intuition and "wisdom of the body"?

Should we listen solely on our intuition? Yes, our intuition - built via all the past life experience - can be a good guide for making most daily decisions. At certain level, it is totally inadequate because there is just no equivalent previous experience for the task at hand. The huge progress afforded by science in the past 200 to 300 years is the result of painstakingly removing personal bias, observational bias and application of strict logic deduction. Intuitively, we know that to put out a fire, we can put water onto the fire. However, if this intuition is applied to fire caused by burning oil, pouring water over the boiling oil will result in explosion and making the situation much worse. Intuition is useful only up to a certain point and we should not take it as all time truth.

I agree, living in the moment does not imply living beyond our means. What has happened in the last 150 years is that a small fraction of the world's population is consuming disproportionate amount of world's resources and dumping a large amount of green house gas into the atmosphere which every human being share. It would be a hard thing to link the mentality of living at the moment with such irresponsible deeds. ...

Oct 28 2011:
Living in the moment once a while is good, but a mentality of ignoring the future, over-indulge of the moment's satisfaction, never learn from the past and never consider the future consequences are not good guidelines for proper living. Don't we want to leave a better place for our children and grand children?

I cannot agree that living with an eye into future is giving up one's power. There are choices to make and there are consequences with the choices. Ignoring any consequences and blindly pick choices which satisfy a moment's sense of power is hardly a good recommendation. Yes, there is a lot of chances and unexpected events in the future, because of these, we do not plan for future? Is that a guideline for living?

Can we live in the past? No, we cannot. We have already lived the past and there were past actions which affect current choices and there are past burdens which we need to carry onwards until the day we die. Past is the foundation of intuition which you treasure so much. Without the past experience, you would not have the intuition. Time is a one way street, you can look back, but you cannot go back. You can only move forward, at the pace determined by time, you cannot jump forward too.

Oct 23 2011:
1. The only constant is change.
2. What you see in the world is dependent on how you feel.
3. Afflictive emotions beget afflictive results.
4. You only get what you put into something and always expect more.
5. Intentions good or bad are irrelevant to actions.
6. Belief and Faith are founded in ignorance
7. Definites cannot work in the infinite. The concept of dualism is false.
8. Given enough time any individual can surprise you.
9. The past and future are illusions of what may be the present is where we are.
10. I am wrong and strive to learn more.